Toys are often designed to have play value by simulating a real object. Toy guns and rifles have been marketed for decades and include such devices as water pistols and rifles, cap guns, BB guns and rifles, dart guns and NERF brand launchers that discharge a soft foam toy dart or projectile. New and fresh features are desirable but creating and developing such features in a successful manner have proven difficult.
Typical rifle magazines, both for real weapons and sport and toy devices, are shown in earlier U.S. patents although all are detachable and must be removed to be loaded. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,331,155 for a “Box Magazine For Firearms” issued in 1920 to T. C. Johnson, purports to disclose a removable curved magazine made of inexpensive sheet metal to serially load cartridges into a firearm, the magazine having a spring at the bottom of the magazine and an open top. In 1959, U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,987 issued for a “Firearm With Side Loading Magazine” to Allyn, and purports to disclose a detachable side loading, box type, one-piece stamped magazine with a spring mounted in the bottom of the magazine and having an open side for cartridges. In 1979, U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,959 for a “Cartridge Magazine” issued to Howard et al., and purports to disclose a removable curved molded plastic magazine with a follower that may tilt without binding. The magazine has an open upper end and a closure plate with a latch at a lower end. The follower includes a post to prevent the latch from releasing the closure plate when the follower is at its lowest position indicating a fully loaded magazine. Twenty years later, U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,878 for a “Cartridge Magazine For A Firearm” issued to Yang, and purports to disclose a detachable cartridge magazine having a bullet support with guiding extrusions to balance the support.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,294 for an “Air Compression Type Shooting Device Using Adhesion Type Bullet” issued in 2001 to Lim, and purports to disclose a toy gun for shooting VELCRO brand tipped soft “bullets” using compressed air. The bullets are loaded in a detachable magazine having a closed bottom and internal spring and an open top. In 2006, U.S. Patent Application Publication, 2006/0180134 appeared for a “Combination Solid Projectile And Paintball Gun, and Solid Projectile Adapter For Paintball Gun” and purports to disclose a compressed air paint gun adapted to shoot solid projectiles where some of the magazines shown are mounted atop a barrel to allow ammunition to be gravity fed, and some of the magazines are attached to removable adapters to be added to the gun where the magazines includes internal springs and the magazines are separately loaded and then attached. In 2009, U.S. Patent Application Publication, 2009/0229158 appeared for a “Magazine With Constant-Force Spring For Dispensing Elastomeric Foam Projectiles” and purports to disclose a detachable magazine with a constant force, negator coil, spring. The magazine is closed at its bottom and open at its top. Also in 2009, U.S. Patent Application Publication, 2009/02496672 appeared for a “Firearm With An Ergonomic Reloading Control Group” and purports to disclose a firearm that facilitates removal of a detachable empty magazine and return of a bolt as part of reloading the firearm.
These patents are of little interest, however, because they describe devices that use the usual magazine, i.e., one that is detachable with a closed bottom, a biasing spring, and open top, and which are loaded when separated from the weapon or toy and then connected to the weapon or toy. Only gravity fed hoppers or magazines are able to be loaded, without removal of the hopper or magazine.